Sehwag says this India player has more skills than many great batsmen

Former India batsman Virender Sehwag wants young opener Shubman Gill to play with a free mind without bothering about the runs on board.

The 22-year-old Gill, who opens for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, received a special praise from the former India opener, Sehwag, who, during his prime, was known for his care-free and aggressive batting.

Speaking with Cricbuzz, Sehwag said, “He (Gill) has more ability than several greats of the game. The players from older generations had a stronger mindset which led them to success. If Gill wants to be a successful batter, he needs to work on his mindset.”

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Sehwag advised the youngster to not to bother about runs. “Shubman Gill should bat freely, no matter what the situation is. He shouldn’t be bothered about runs. There are 9 batsmen behind him, hence, he shouldn’t think much. If he gets a loose ball, hit it big and of not, just tap it and get a single,” he said.

Sehwag said that while the T20 format requires one to score fast, Gill should not succumb to the pressure and start hitting the ball right away. “T20 cricket isn’t a format where you score ball-to-ball. You do that in the longer formats where a strike rate of 50 is considered decent. But this format is meant to bat like this. No need to take pressure while batting. You just go and start hitting. If you connect then you are a match winner and if couldn’t, then no worries, someone else will do that,” he said.

On Monday (September 20), Shubman scored a vital 48-run knock off just 34 balls to help his team win a crucial match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Kolkata Knight Riders chased RCB’s miniscule target of 92 runs with ease as Shubman shared a 82-run opening partnership with debutant Venkatesh Iyer (41 not out) to seal the match for KKR.